The weekly messenger. [volume] (St. Martinsville [i.e. St. Martinville] La.) 1886-1948, 1887-12-10
A RICH REDSKIN.
An IIdian Who is Building a
Railroad Out West.
Inc Wonderful Career Of An
Inventive Aboriqiral,

"a. "A th-iN 'IN '''u'!'ii ''.N- am Wy
,-r predicted quarter Of century ago
t..tan-Am,.:.a. Indian world hII,G =
r..;rrual H. world huvc been ccu-iicrcd
:. =, Object rur lgaa.ic asylum 81.
today Ia, p"oplr % Newton County,
No. = conn,y adioilin- TIL Indian Ter
ROY have vitHr~.. ia ,cyne such -
r.an never lc:orc bchclG. ,i,t'lia~
spit.og. h.!f Cavuca and half Wyan-
,;.;;r ludar. tnrn in "a lati'n village
i. Clua,il. today II. Sc. 40 drove the
fit ,ph- TO- tn" kaa>,, City, Fort
Saith md southern I;ailway. 1hi, di
vision d the Haa-i. City. Fort Smith
ard Sonthcrn ralwa, Ya> chartered tn"
S;h OF lat March under the laws OF tn
S,rte of Missouri. With capital Of
f.; 600. 600. and now there are about 81
mics graded and rca IL for the iron.
Mr. SpitO- Ia, furnished the ''Sin-
,r, OF war" out of his own ample for
fusc. and is backed by heavy capitalists
t. complete the rad. and before the 1st
next J,ru.rv h. Mil have tba cars
raining from Joplin. in jasper County,
e. the town ri Splitlog, in Mcdonald
County. a distance of abor, thirtv-fiy.
niles, and Matthias Splillog the mil
tionalrc Indian. who is probably ;hc rich
81 man of his r,c.. will benc.f,rth be
L,,,,,p all over th. cor,,ry =, the ONLY
India, ,a;iro.d ,,., ct I,o., III. fir.n in
.s. Tnit,J States ,r i, th. whole world
Tho occasion Of Griyigs the first spike
or the main linz. OF ,li;..... ~c,i WI, Il
r,,tor of ,nor, tb,, or.lipAy iptrrcs. 70
;Go pcopIc OF Nco.ho Al 3l5 thr-,
were about one n ..,lnl ncaplr Assem-
bed at the poiut vhrr, the main l7nr
,ro.s,s the 'Frj.r, tr,,.. After luII,i,.
bv the Indian band from the TERRITORY
and selection, hvth Nco-ho band Mr.
Charlie, ". Smith. Audiip. or IL. Goa
strlicfion conip1py held the spike in H.
sition. and in four bold strokes Mr..
spitlor drove III .pikc home into g.
carefully selected wnitroaL Sc. Cucrr
after cheer was given for tn road.
Matthias Split'oo. Nco>ho and tn enter
prise, after ,...ch many came to the
track to look at ihc spike. Mr.. Split
log welded the slcdcc with 4 familiarity
aud precision which Indicated th-t he
had used rl> slcdgc with good effect
when he built his steamboat on the De-
troit rivir.
Mr. Sp!itiog Wa, boru IN the year
1913, and while n boy was apprcnticed
10 II carpenter and miliwright. and, al
though his wages were only 81 per
month, young Spitlog thought he was
getting rich tie imbihcd love for
machinery AMI inventions which has
made his life IA useful and cvcnttul one
In the year 1872 Young Spli,'or ioiacd
the WyandoitrS. who were the hast nf
the Indian trib"> then i ohio. Ia isi:;
:,i,'a;p. came We, win some oi tic
tribr and found, afr hi, arrival at
Wr,tport landiny Unow Kansas Ciry,.
that he only had - cents In his pockct.
Tc Snduc,gr an old Indian ~ 90 ms So.
,mitl for TIE pride Of ~ AK. With
this axe he cut corlwcod for the steam
Lsat> ut - cent, per cord, ami. afrrr
paving for The AK. which cost 81. hr
soon saved crougb ,o luy = pony.
About the wear 1864 lr married rl;la
p,-,,,. .,,,...l,.;..s H.. -.